


wait for me

by poets_and_lyres



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Magic, Original Character(s), Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poets_and_lyres/pseuds/poets_and_lyres
Summary: Elora had secrets, a dark past and a connection with Ace she refuses to burden him with.Ace is like the sun: warm, bright, and endless.Elora is like a black hole: dark, consuming, and tragic.She would do anything for him, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness and wellbeing, just to see him happy and safe in a world that demanded his death.He would do anything for her, just to understand why she pushed him away and to understand why she looked so haunted whenever she looked at him.//Soulmate AU Ace x Elora (OC)\\
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	1. Meeting in Alabasta

The sea was still.  
Thousands of stars filled the endless sky, some in giant clusters that shone so brightly there was no need for a lamp.  
I could make out the bigger constellations and my eyes automatically searched for the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. The first star my eyes ever saw on this strange planet so many years ago.

The boat I was on was small, barely a dinghy and I was in the middle of the ocean making my way to some desolate country. The map I had didn't have words on it, just a giant red X over the port. I had been here a few times in the years I had been here but I never stayed long enough to learn anything about it. I could see the faint outline near the horizon of the small country of Alabasta and I sighed. 

I was not of this world. This place was still as foreign to me as it has been for years now and despite travelling everywhere, I couldn't find a home here. I was a refugee of sorts, the last survivor of Illyria. The only person to have lived through the mass genocide my people endured. I have this power of sorts, something my people shunned me for, the very thing that allowed me to survive when no one else did. I can Warp between space- just take a step and in less than a breath, I'm where I want to be. I never understood why the Elders of my people thought it was a power worthy enough to banish and shun me as a child but It did. 

I was older when the world was destroyed and I ended up here, a place devoid of almost all magic other than these strange things they called Devil Fruit. It was a crude form of magic, but magic nonetheless and it always made me think of home. I had met plenty of devil fruit users in my time here and they all got their asses handed to them. 

The thought made me smile, I had made plenty of friends and enemies in this world and racked up a pretty bounty with the Marines too. I wasn't dumb enough to flaunt my powers around them, I didn't need them to try and cuff me with those awful sea stone cuffs they used. They won't work on me but they gave off an awful scent that made me want to sneeze. It was a handy thing to keep it a secrets from enemies, I could get in and out of anything. 

I was thankful I didn't sleep much, nightmares haunted me and I was a chronic insomniac, and the few times I did dream, they were prophetic in nature. It was always the same thing, a kid with a straw hat and his crew on the Grand Line. The urge to find them got more intense every time I saw it and I was off to find them. I didn't exactly know why I had to find them, but the visions were never wrong so here I was sailing around on the Grand Line looking for a bunch of pirates.

Being on such a shitty boat in dangerous waters was kind of thrilling, I thought. Not many things could make me feel that rush of urgency and adrenaline now but doing this was fun. I sailed on for a few more hours, Alabasta getting bigger. The sky was lightening up and I looked once more towards Sirius and sent a silent prayer of thanks.  
Even if this kid wasn't here, I could still pick up supplies and find a bigger boat before setting off again. Soon enough, I brushed up against the dock and ignored the stares as I walked clambered out of the small boat and made my way into town. 

The thing about Alabasta is that its barren and sand gets everywhere. There's never any water and frankly, I couldn't see why anyone wanted to live here. I found it hard to blend in with the people here, I didn't feel temperature the same way the people of this world did and the heat of this place didn't bother me. They wore full coverings from head to toe and the last time I was here, I hated the texture of the clothes and stayed in my normal outfits. 

Perhaps it was more my outfit that drew looks, my leather trousers and loose linen shirt wasn't exactly seen as proper clothing around these parts. A cord of leather held my hair back and out of my face and I adjusted the long sword at my side, my hand resting on its hilt. One of the few things I was able to grab before Illyria's destruction. It used to be the sword my father inherited from his father and his father before him. Shortly before he died and when I was banished, he sent it to me. I was the eldest of my siblings and mother died when I was a young child, old enough to take care of my brothers when my father disappeared for days at a time in his grief. Despite my banishment, I was still it's rightful owner and my father knew it. 

Now it was the last of its kind and the only one of its existence. I sighed as I made my way through the crowds, pushing my way past those stopped at the booths and taking up the entire road. I could hear a commotion coming from a few streets away and looked over, curious. Was it pirates or a thief or something? 

I kept pushing my way past the people until I found something that made me grin. 

There was a long nosed man screaming and running, followed by a tall blond man who was smoking. I scrunched my nose up at the stench of the cigarette and looked around to see what they could've been running from. My grin widened at the horde of Marines running behind them, yelling obscenities and waving their swords. 

The third man with them held two swords in his hands and looked suspiciously like broccoli, began to fight them. 

Ah yes, definitely pirates. How lovely. 

I took my sword out, whispering a quick blessing before joining the Broccoli Head. He wasn't struggling but he looked annoyed and I was more than willing to join. He grunted when he saw me, two of his swords holding back a small group of soldiers. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

I was whirling around, slashing and blocking. Soon enough they were gone and I grinned at him, sheathing my sword. 

"A friend of sorts, I suppose." I responded and he grunted again. 

Wow, I've never heard someone speak so much in my life, I thought sarcastically. 

He put his swords away and walked away, ignoring me. I followed him happily, hands clasped behind my neck. 

We found his friends, the long nose and blondie, with the rest of their companions who were two girls and a reindeer looking creature. They were all wearing identical outfits, the girls more fashionable than the boys. How they could stand the way the fabric feels is beyond me. It was no doubt that the full body coverings were just to protect themselves from the sun but I cringed from the thought of the awful clothing anyways. 

Broccoli Head grumbled something to Blondie and the others were complaining about someone. I squinted at them hard, something about them felt extremely familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it. 

It took them a minute to notice me, their complaining stopping all together. Blondie just kind of stared, the cigarette in his hand hanging there limply as he stared. 

"Oh wow-" He drooled, nearly foaming at the mouth. "Who are you, beautiful?" 

I raised my eyebrow at him and made a face. 

"Out of your league, Blondie." I told him before turning to greenie. "I'm looking for your captain." 

Greenie barked out a laugh and Blondie grumbled out a insult at him. 

"You're not the only one, he went missing hours ago and we haven't found him yet." He told me before frowning, "Why does everyone want to find him today? You're the second person to ask for him." 

I tilted my head at that, frowning slightly. Who else is looking for their captain? 

"I just need to ask him a question, that's all. I'm looking for someone and you seem like a group of uh... trustworthy pirates." I told him, resting my hand on the hilt of my sword and shrugging. 

"You can wait here with us if you'd like." A new voice called out and I looked down. 

A pang of familiarity went through me. I knew his face, animal-like on his unusual body. A talking reindeer, something that wasn't so uncommon on Illyria. Some animals talked, flowers were sometimes larger than the trees. He must've eaten one of those devil fruits. 

I crouched down and smiled, extending my hand out to him. 

"Hello there, what's your name?" 

He shyly shook my hand before putting his hands behind his back and gave me the most adorable smile. 

"I'm Tony Tony Chopper, the ship doctor. I ate a human-human fruit and now I'm like this." 

Ah, so I was right. Not like me. I'd always hoped that some of us survived but I knew it was impossible. 

Still I kept smiling at him. 

"Hello, Tony Tony Chopper. I'm Elora and it's very nice to meet you." I told him, still holding onto that long forgotten sense of home. 

I looked up and saw one of the girls, the one with short red hair, open her mouth to speak before she was interrupted with screaming. Looking at the new look of exasperation on all of their faces, I knew it could only be their captain and I stood back up. I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword as the screaming got closer and Greenie seemed to have the same idea. 

Soon enough, the person screaming came into sight and I was shaken to my core. A boy in a straw hat, the one I've been looking for for so long was right there. I glanced at the rest of his crew and the pieces slid together, the familiarity becoming clear to me. 

His grin was infectious as he got closer to us, another horde of Marines along with another familiar face in this new group, this time speaking instead of screaming. 

"Hey, Zorooooooooooooo!" 

"Luffy, you idiot, you're supposed to get rid of them, not bring them towards us!" Greenie, or Zoro rather, screaming at him. 

I had finally found the Straw-hat Pirates and the grin on my face refused to leave my face. 

Time for some fun.


	2. The meeting of an old enemy

Luffy ran towards us, a giant smile on his face and Zoro, being Zoro, looked pissed. 

The Marines weren't far behind him, yelling obscenities and waving their swords around like they were toys. What a bunch of morons. 

I watched as one person surged forward and I took my sword out, why the hell was he here? 

Smokie had a victorious smile on his face as he ran behind Luffy, yelling something but it was hard to tell what he was saying with those stupid cigars in his mouth.

I rolled my eyes as Luffy looked behind him, panic obvious in his face. He must've ran into Smokie before then for them to have this sort of reaction to each other. Smoker shot his arm out, trying to catch the boy and Luffy screamed, running faster. I glanced to the other beside me and saw a range of exasperated and panicked looks and sighed again. Why were they so freaked out about Smokie? He wasn't even all that powerful. 

Trust me, I know. I'm one of the few people who's escaped from his "zero pirate escapement policy" he's got going on. I was about to step forward and put a stop to his harassment before a new voice cut in along with a heat wave. 

Fire met Smoker's smoke and he grunted, looking surprised. A half naked man stood in front of us, one hand clutching a pack and the other outward toward Smoker, flames coming out of his hand.

"Stand down, a fight between us would never end." He said, his voice deep and serious. 

A voice I recognized all too well, I thought with annoyance. Why the hell did he have to be here?

"He has devil fruit powers?" Zoro asked incredulously 

"Who the hell is this guy anyways? Why is he even helping us?" Long nose asked, his voice going up a higher octave.

"...Ace?" Luffy asked and suddenly my hope that it wouldn't be him was crushed. 

Smokie and Marines stopped a few steps away from Ace, weapons ready to fire. 

"I don't get it. Why would you help Straw Hat?" Smoker asked, arms folded against his chest. 

Ace gave a short chuckle before answering. "It's natural for a big brother to worry about his bungling kid brother." 

Wait... W H A T? 

I turned to Luffy before looking back at Ace. Those two were brothers?

I blinked and I was almost sure my jaw hit the ground. That moron was Luffy's older brother? I shook away the shock and watched as Ace made a giant wall of fire in front of himself. No doubt starting another fight with the Marines. 

I placed a hand on my stomach and fought against the raging uneasy feeling that settled there, something that always happened whenever I was around him. Which was exactly why I stayed away from him. It was always two feelings that twisted me around inside whenever I was around him: Anxiety, something I don't feel often and one feeling I run away from far too often. 

Soul shattering grief. 

It always hit me hard enough to feel like I was breathing through fractured ribs and pierced lungs and I could never suck in enough air. The mark hidden on my arm always burned like a brand when I was near him. I couldn't stand it and I could never bring myself to hope or wonder what the feeling was. Somewhere deep inside I knew exactly what the burning meant, why it hurt so much.

I frowned and gripped my hand hard on the hilt of my sword and I could faintly hear the others speaking to Ace before gathering their stuff to head to the ship. Ace turned back to his fight with Smokie and we ran off, my head pounding.

Stupid Ace.  
Stupid Mark. 

I was here for one job and that was it. I composed my face in a neutral expression.  
We reached their ship, an adorable thing with a lovely sheep head at the front and after loading everything onto the deck, we figured out Luffy was missing. Again. 

I sat on the side of the ship, fingers clasped together as I watched the clouds in the distance. Chopper sat on the deck at my feet, going through his medical supplies and these weird orange balls he had. 

The red head, Nami, and Usopp, the one with the long nose, questioned me despite my obvious lack of attention.

I answered their questions loosely, never giving them anything solid. Whatever they wanted to know, their captain could ask me. The others packed their supplies in their packs, making sure to pack plenty of water and food. 

I went back to watching the clouds, which were very far and few between. I still couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in such a desolate place, there was never any rain or lush forests. It was so barren with nothing but sand going on forever.

Eventually Luffy made it back to the ship with his brother in tow and I immediately put my guard up, hand going for the dagger in my boot. I never trusted him and I wasn't about to start now. It was obvious that Luffy hasn't seen him in years and who knows how much he's changed since then. 

I stayed perched on the rail and grabbed an apple out of my pack, slicing it into pieces with my dagger. I gave a piece to Chopper with a smile and put another in my mouth, chewing. I zoned out the loud scolding Nami was giving to Luffy and looked around the ship. 

It hit me how young all of them were, still children and doing such dangerous things. 

I loved it. 

Illyria was always against adventure, of danger and anything that would be thrilling. They might be kids but they were doing so much, learning so much and helping people. I doubt many pirates were like that and I knew these kids got into the trouble they got into for helping someone in need. 

"Who the heck are you?" came Luffy's voice and I looked towards him.

His head was tilted to the side like a curious puppy, his finger pointed towards me. 

"Elora." 

I could almost physically feel Ace's head snap towards me and I refused to look at him. Even with my general uneasiness with him, the last time we saw each other it wasn't very pretty. 

Luffy nodded like he was supposed to know who I was.

"I'm a friend. I've been looking for you and your crew for a while now and I never thought I'd run into you in a place like this." I told him, sliding the last slice of apple into my mouth and throwing the core over my shoulder and into the ocean behind me. 

"Oh, okay." Luffy responded, scratching the back of his head. "We're here to fight Crocodile and keep him from taking over the country."

I grinned and shoved my dagger back into my boot. 

"Wicked. Need help? I've got a few tricks up my sleeve and I'm decent with a sword. Plus you should probably have more than one swordsman on your crew, Broccoli Head can't do it all himself, especially if you get separated." I responded back and wiggled my fingers in Zoro's direction as he grunted and muttered obscenities at me. 

We were going to be such great friends. 

Luffy turned away from me as Nami began protesting, catching his attention. 

Usopp occasionally chipped in but she did most of the talking and I couldn't help but snort when she said that I could be a spy for the Marines. 

"What's so funny?" She demanded, crossing her arms. 

"Me, a spy? As if. I've got a bigger bounty from the World Government than all of you combined. The Marines don't want anything from me, just to see me hang. I've pissed off plenty of pirates too- just ask your brother. He's definitely not my biggest fan." I told her, grin on my face. 

Ace grunted and leaned against the mast, a scowl on his face. 

Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp made noises of excitement, their faces radiating it even more so. It felt like a punch to the gut. 

"Wow! You have a bounty? How high is it?" Said Luffy, completely ignoring his brother and Nami, who protested immediately. 

I smiled at him, "How about we make a deal? I help you with this Crocodile situation and made sure that the kingdom isn't destroyed and tell you stories about my adventures and in return, you let me join your crew. Sound like a deal?" 

Luffy, obviously ready to take the deal, was about to answer before he was interrupted with Annoyance incarnate. 

"Stay away from my brother." Ace growled out and I scowled. "You're dangerous and not to be trusted. Go. Home." 

For the first time today, I turned towards him. 

"Don't you even go there. I'm dangerous and can't be trusted? Go look in a fucking mirror, you hypocrite." I growled back at him, fingers once again brushing against the blade in my boot. 

"Go home before I make you." He said, his voice full of warning as he pushed himself off of the mast. 

"Home? I have no home." My fingers were clutched tight against the hilt of the dagger. "I have the sea and my wits, that is the only home I know." 

"I owe my allegiance to this crew, to your brother. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me, remember that." I pointed the dagger at him, the blade loose between my fingers. 

"No home? That's bullshit and you know it. So what happened, Elora? Did they kick you out or something? You're so self absorbed they could've burned in front of you and you wouldn't have cared." He sneered, only a few feet away now. 

I stilled. The ache that filled me swelled to an infinite chasm and it felt like everything stopped. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even feel my own heartbeat. 

"Do not speak about things you do not understand, Portgas D. Ace. You might not like the answer you get." I responded at last, voice hoarse and hollow. 

I stared at the deck now, unable to even look at him or at the others focused on our exchange. The blade hung limply in my hand now, there was no effort to fight anymore. 

"I sincerely doubt it." His voice angry and scathing and I almost flinched. 

Almost. 

But I do not flinch. I fight back. 

"I watched them burn." I told him, head down. I heard a faint gasp from one of the girls. "I saw children dead and dying and screaming for their mothers. I saw animals burning and running away from the flames that engulfed us. I watched thousands of years of history go up in flames in minutes. Do you know what it's like to feel someone die? Do you, Ace? I held my brother as he took his last breaths, burned so bad I could barely recognize him. My people lasted for thousands of years and I am all that is left of them. I have no home, it burned away a long, long time ago." 

There was just silence. 

Head still down, I composed my features into that of stone before looking at the sky once more, the few clouds I had saw earlier were gone. 

"I know where we're docking. I'll meet you there." I told Luffy before standing up on the rail and jumping overboard, warping away before I could touch the water below.


	3. Angst in Alabasta's sand dunes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I should mention to anyone reading this that because this is a One Piece fic and OP is extremely long, things are going to skipped or changed. 
> 
> This will go from the Alabasta arc all the way to Dressrosa, which is hundreds of episodes and not everything is going to be included. 
> 
> Elora is a complex character and some things may not make sense so if you have any questions, leave a comment and i'll clear things up for you! 
> 
> much love,  
> poets xx

My fist slammed into the boulder, smashing it to pieces. Blood dripped down my knuckles. I welcomed the pain. 

It had been hours since I left the ship, and they still hadn't shown up. It wasn't surprising as they had to navigate the rocky waters and avoid Marine ships as they made their way here. 

I watched the small pile of blood form the sand at my feet and shook my hand; the bleeding would stop on its own eventually. I decided to use the quiet to my advantage. 

Divination was never a strong suit of mine and, I was too impatient to focus long enough to get clear images. Since I've been here, I've learned to calm myself long enough to sit still. After all, patience was a virtue.

I put my hands together, something my brother taught me to do whenever he needed to concentrate. I closed my eyes and, slowly, the images came to me. They were hazy at first, barely there. I concentrated harder, a headache forming between my eyes. 

The visions got clearer, flashes of fire, and war that were red and terrifying. Screams echoed in my head and, I shook them away. War might be coming, but that wasn't what I needed to see. 

I saw the faces of the future crew mates of the Straw Hats and, I smiled at two that I recognized. Luffy only had six members right now and reuniting with two old friends made this whole pirate thing better.

I sifted through the things I saw, much of it future battle Luffy would go through. I felt a burst of pride in my chest at the young boy. Luffy really did deserve the world.

The mark on my arm burned as I went through the things I saw. It was almost pulsating in its insistence to be recognized. If I could remove it, I would. It was of no use to me in this world when I knew who the other half of it belonged to. Most removals of the mark left you dead or dying and, I'd rather take death over forcing someone into this. 

Soul-mark removal was nearly taboo. The Elders only removed them for widows who couldn't handle the loss of their other half, or on criminals who deserved to have it taken away from them for the crimes they committed.  
Now that Illyria was gone, the Elders died with their secrets and I was stuck with a mark with an impossible soul mate. How lucky was I? 

Realistically, any soul mate I was supposed to had died when Illyria did all those years ago. Unless Fate and the Elders were playing with the strings of my future, someone else came here when I did. As far as I knew, I was the only person to have survived the genocide but for him of all people to be my destined, his mother or grandmother had to have been a survivor stuck in a different part of this planets history. 

I sighed and opened my eyes, rubbing two of my fingers against my forehead to try to get rid of the headache pounding behind my eyes. I made my way to the sword sticking out of the sand that I had put there in my fit of anger and winced as the wounds on my knuckles opened up again. 

I watched the Merry come in to view and I hid my hands behind my back. I felt like a child hiding something from her parents, I thought bemusedly and almost smiled if it weren't for the pity filled eyes that found mine as the ship docked. 

There was one thing I hated more than anything and it was face filled with a pity they didn't understand. This is why I don't tell people, I think to myself as an annoyance filled me. 

They died years ago and I had come to terms with it. If there was an afterlife, I'd meet them there when it was my time to go and that was all I could ask for the old Gods. To see my brothers again would be the greatest honor of them all. 

Those boys deserved the world that they didn't get to live and I'll spend the rest of my long life going on adventures and learning the things they never got to before they died. 

I didn't want to look at their faces. Their emotions towards my grief made me uncomfortable. Emotions in general made me uncomfortable, in all honesty.  
I cast my eyes to the sky as they unloaded their packs and frowned. The sky was empty, not a cloud in sight and I sighed, you can't expect much more from a desert kingdom. 

Gods above, I couldn't wait to get away from here. The heat didn't bother me, Illyrians were genetically modified to be able to stand all kinds of weather and I was thankful for it. However, I couldn't stand the sand for the life of me and I just wanted to help them kick Crocodiles ass and get the hell away from here. 

The cloudless sky made me uneasy, if we were going to target and take down a warlord, we needed the sky to be a friend. I've been in Alabasta for less than a day and I'm already being roped in to ending a civil war, ending a Warlords career, and making sure the kingdom isn't completely destroyed. 

You know, all in a day's work. 

Crocodile had plenty of powerful people working for him, strong enough to temporarily hinder Luffy's crew. I knew they- no, we would come out victorious. 

My eyes snapped to Ace's as he approached me and one of my hands rested on the hilt of my sword. His widened eyes didn't fail to escape me and I glanced down at the bloodied and raw flesh that my knuckles had become. 

The blue haired girl- I was pretty sure she was the Princess or something, I can't remember if we were introduced or not- gasped and I raised an eyebrow at her. 

"What happened to you?" she asked, hands going up to her mouth in worry.

"Training, I had the time." I told her, shrugging my shoulders with indifference. 

I skirted around Ace and grabbed one of the packs abandoned, slinging in onto my back. I ignored the worried glances, feeling uncomfortable. Humans were so emotional about everything, I thought. 

"Elora..." Chopper said, his hooves coming together in worry. "Your hands are hurt pretty badly and I should clean them before they get infected." 

I looked at him for a long second, and an ache formed in my chest. He had the same warm eyes my brother did. I clenched one hand into a fist tightly, letting the pain distract me before opening it again and kneeling into the sand in front of him, holding my hands out to him. 

He have me a warm smile and I kept still as he cleaned and bandaged them tightly. I knew they'd be pointless in a few hours with my fast healing but I let him have his way. 

"Thank you, Chopper." I smiled at him, and handed him my canteen. "Here, drink this. This heat will dehydrate you faster than the rest of us." 

He took it and drank deeply before giving it back with one of his big smiles. I stood back up and stretched, my shirt riding up my stomach. 

I froze and pulled it back down, hoping that no one saw the marks there. It would be a long and awkward conversation that we didn't have time for. I grimaced at Ace, who's eyes were focused on my stomach and I knew he had seen. 

Fucking humans and their curiosity. 

I felt someones eyes burning into me and I turned to look at Broccoli Head, raising an eyebrow at his glare. 

"How did you do it?" He demanded, his arms crossed. 

The quiet chatter among the rest of the crew quieted as they looked at me, their curiosity replacing their pity. 

I tilted my head and gave them a lopsided smile.

"I just... took a step, that's all." 

"What the hell does that mean?" He growled out, pissed off. 

"You do know what taking a step is, don't you Broccoli Head?" I told him, voice condescending. "You know, when you put one foot in front of the other." 

"I know what a fucking step is." His eyes were scrunched together in anger and the red head, Nami, put a hand on his shoulder. 

"So you're a devil fruit user like Luffy, Chopper, and Ace?" She asked with a smile. 

"Maybe," I told her, my grin growing bigger. "Maybe not. Maybe I'm something else entirely." 

Apparently Luffy was the only one who thought that was cool. After all, Luffy might have an odd assortment of crew mates but they each had strengths in areas the others didn't and that included me. 

I wondered if there was a version of them in my old Universe, if they were anything like these ones. 

The blond man with the weird eyebrows stepped forward and tried to give me a charming smile that made me inwardly cringe. 

"We've got another devil fruit user on the crew and she's just as stunning as Nami-swan." He said and I held my breath as he exhaled the smoke in his lungs from the cigarette in his hand. 

Gross. 

"Stop it Sanji! You're gonna make her want to leave." Chopper yelled at him and I had to physically stop the 'awww' that threatened to come out. 

I cleared my throat and caught their attention, "Listen guys, we only have a few more hours of daylight and we need to keep moving. We should cover as much ground as we can tonight before starting again in the morning." 

There were grumbles of agreement and as soon as we gathered the last of our things we set out into the sandy wastelands.


	4. exhaustion and regret

The others were struggling especially Chopper. 

He almost looked sick and I was concerned. Having a winter creature in a place like this only meant trouble. I held back from the others, frowning at the exhausted look on his face. I knew he couldn't weigh that much, even with the pack he had, he was small and without a second thought, I picked him up and held him to me like you would a small child. 

He was exhausted enough that he didn't complain and I gave him my water pouch. I gave him a small smile when he finished drinking before he closed his eyes and rested on me. As gently as I could, I wrapped the cloak Nami had given me before we left the boat, around his small body, shielding him from the sun. 

The others were ahead, Luffy and Usopp were complaining loudly at the front of the group. I smiled when Blondie scolded them and quickly made my way to the rest of the them, we had fallen behind and I wasn't going to leave Chopper at the back by himself. 

I was thankful this weather didn't affect me, seeing the others struggling made me worry. If the heat affects humans this much, they'd need someone to protect them if something happens. 

Illyrians had chaotic weather and we had to adapt to it which made living on the Grand Line much easier. I was already prepared for it. 

Luffy was still complaining, this time about food, Blondie was flirting with Nami and the princess and Chopper groaned in my arms. Zoro and Ace were talking, the occasional laugh escaping their mouths. 

It was easier to look at Ace from back here; he looked happy and my heart clenched. It was always best to look and observe from far away, we didn't fight and he didn't look so angry to see me. His anger towards me was always justified and I always egged it on because it was easier for him to hate me, then to ever love me. 

Whitebeard always shook his head at me when I explained it to him, he always thought I was taking away Ace's choice. 

Perhaps I was but he deserved better. I was damaged and he deserved better. 

Ace was like the sun- everyone revolved around him because of how bright he was. He was just and kind and he put everyone else before himself. He loved his brother more than anything in this entire world.  
Ace was more than the sun. 

He was an entire universe, full of light and hope and love. 

And I was a black hole, sucking everything away until there was nothing. 

Ace didn't deserve to be burdened with the ways of a long dead planet from a universe that wasn't his. Ace was human and he deserved to fall in love and grow with someone he chooses, not because some stupid soulmate mark told him so. 

It was easier to love him from afar and watch him grow than to bring him into the mess I was. 

He must've felt my eyes on him because he turned and gave me a warm smile that rooted me to my spot. 

He smile... at me? 

I blinked a few times before forcing myself to walk again, my thoughts going a thousand miles an hour. Ace and I didn't s m i l e at each other, we only glared and gave each other sarcastic grins. 

The heat must be getting to him, I decided. 

I made my way to the front where Zoro and him were, and bumped the swordsmen with my shoulder. 

"Hey Greenie, take Chopper for me for a bit. I'm gonna go scout ahead and see if I can spot a shelter for us to stop at for the night." I told him, gently removing Choppers hold on me so I could pass him over to Zoro. 

He just grunted and took him from me, putting him in the same position I had him in before. I gave him a cheeky grin before shifting. 

I ended up a mile away from them, giving Ace a sarcastic salute before looking around. When I found nothing, I went another mile ahead and groaned at the endless sand dunes. Four miles later, I found a decent sized rock formation with only the front as an entrance. I scouted it out, hand on my sword in case something was lurking at back. 

When I found nothing and figured it had enough protected for a few hours, I fought back my exhaustion and went back to the others who were only a mile away. Thank the Gods they kept moving, I wasn't going to walk another four miles to get back here. 

When I saw them at the top of a sand dune, I waved at them and I contained my laugh when Luffy almost fell down it, no doubt eager to eat. When we all got back together, I led them to the shelter I found. 

After Blondie's heroic checking of the shelter, we all settled inside. I checked on Chopper and frowned, still worried about him. He was panting, his fur slick with sweat and his eyes didn't seem to be able to focus on anything. I put him towards the back of the shelter, where the rocks were surprisingly cool and I gave him more water. 

I had to stop him from chugging it, knowing if he did he'd likely puke it up. I kissed his cheek and left him to rest, sitting against the wall towards the front. 

I looked around and smiled. They really were just a band of kids taking on the world. Nami held Luffy back from running off and finding something to eat, too impatient for Blondie to start cooking. The princess stood near Nami, silently, no doubt worrying about the events coming. 

Ace still stood near Zoro and Usopp, who laughed at Luffy's antics. 

I couldn't help but look at Ace. Despite knowing him for years, something about him made my heart ache. It was something other than the 'forbidden lovers' relationship I'd forced upon us. He'd always reminded me of my life before this world, when Illyria still stood tall and I had lived in a world that shunned me. 

You know what the problem is with having a long life? You lose so many people that some days they just completely blur together but the smallest reminder of them shatters your heart. 

Ace reminded me of a shattered heart. He was an impossible soulmate, a reminder of everything that I lost and yet I loved him in a way that destroyed me every single time I saw him smile. 

He caught my gaze and I refused to look away. I couldn't read the emotions in his eyes and I masked my own. 

He diverted his eyes when Luffy called out to him. I sighed and opened my pack, bringing out the old sketch pad Whitebeard gave me years ago. 

It was covered with drawings, things I had to draw and make permanent so I wouldn't forget what they looked like. 

I always skimmed past the few drawings of Ace I put in there, always cautious whenever he was around me. I couldn't give the answers he'd want if he saw them. 

I flipped to a new page and began drawing, only looking up to check on Chopper, and not long after, it was nighttime. 

Blondie and Usopp collected anything they could for dinner and soon enough, dinner was cooking, much to Luffy's pleasure. I had scooted closer to the entrance so I could look at the sky. 

It had taken me years to get used to the sky here and how empty it was. I had to relearn the constellations and how to navigate this world. 

Illyria had twin suns, with a moon twice the size of the one here. You could always see the neighboring planets with their giant rings and moons. Illyria, despite the people, was a beautiful place. It was, in the deepest sense of the word, ethereal. 

It was gone before its time. 

"I'm sorry." 

I tensed but didn't turn to face him. I sighed and stared at the stars with more intensity. The mate bond was getting to him and I didn't like it. 

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." I told him. 

"It was wrong of me to pry and make you uncomfortable. You didn't deserve to be outted like that, especially not by me. I'm sorry, Ellie." He replied, and my heart clenched at the remorse in his voice. 

I glanced at him and blinked against at the sting in my eye. He looked guilty, wringing his hands together, something he did when he was nervous. 

Ace was too good for me. My feelings went haywire at the nickname, he hasn't called me that for years now. I had missed it. 

"Ace, it's okay." I told him, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the burn in my arm. "You didn't know and you had every right to be pissed at me. I know we're never on the greatest of terms and its usually my fault but I promise I mean your brother no harm." 

"Still, I'm sorry. I know how hard it is to lose someone." He said, giving me a smile. 

"They're gone, Ace." I said, feeling like I was swallowing glass. "They died and I can't bring them back and I've accepted it." 

"Some days are better than others aren't they?" He said, his eyes meeting mine. 

I blinked at the emotion I saw- he'd lost people too. 

"It seems I have more bad days than good days. The dead haunt me and the past always seems to be catching up with me, no matter how far I run." I run a shaky hand through my hair, sighing.

He didn't respond to that and I turned back to look at the stars. 

I knew he wanted to say something but he thought better of it and turned away, about to head back into the shelter with the others. 

"Hey, Ace-" I said, eyes still focused on the sky. "You deserve the world and you deserve to be happy and I'm sorry for how rough I made that for you." 

I knew I couldn't hide the truth from him forever but at least I could apologize. 

He really did deserve better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Ace and Elora talk without fighting for once. 
> 
> What do you think? Do you think she's going to tell him about them being soulmates or will she continue to keep it to herself? 
> 
> Much Love!  
> Poets


	5. the truth finally comes out

I walked away before he could respond. I had confused him and now wasn't the time to explain myself. 

He would leave tomorrow, most likely, and continue the mission Whitebeard had no doubt given him. I hadn't spoken to the giant of a man in a while and I hadn't planned on seeing any of his crew for a long time. 

I was still angry with him. 

Whitebeard wanted to tell Ace the truth, to tell him the things I had spoken to him about in confidence. I knew Whitebeard saw him as a son, as he did the rest of his crew but he didn't see how disastrous the outcome could be. 

Ace was young and he deserved to live the life he'd always dreamed about. I had no right to disrupt it, to barge in and force him into something he had no knowledge of. 

Whitebeard disagreed with it and adamantly fought against me and if it wasn't for our friendship, things would've blown up.

Seeing Ace now, months after his captain and I's falling out, I was relieved to see that Whitebeard didn't say anything. It wasn't his decision to talk openly of things he'd never understand. 

Fucking humans. 

I went back to my drawing and ignored his confused glances. I knew I'd feel bad about it later, when he wasn't here but I kept to my choice, cursing my own stubbornness. 

I looked up when Blondie gave me a plate of food and I gave him a smile, which he swooned at. I sat the plate next to me, occasionally grabbing something but focusing completely on the drawing in my hands.  
I could hear Nami complaining about the way Luffy was eating his food and I smiled to myself, I could only imagine the horrors she's seen living with only men for the past few months. 

"Hey, Elora, you promised me a story earlier." Luffy called out, his mouth full of food. 

I tilted my head at him and stilled on my drawing, "What kind of story would you like?" 

"What was your home like?" 

It was amazing how quiet things could become with just a single question. 

"It was the most beautiful place in the entire universe." I told him, staring at the fire that separated us. 

"There were forests full of old temples and ruins that the village children would run through. They were protected by the nameless ancient gods that some claimed would dance to the full moon every month, to sing her praises. " I gave him a small smile before continuing, "I lived in one of them, in an old hunting cabin my grandfather had when he was a boy. I used to be a hunter, the best my village ever had. I stayed away from most people, my powers were not exactly welcome. I took care of other runaways, orphans, kids who came from abusive homes. I took care of them, taught them how to read and write, how to hunt and give the God's the proper respect they deserved." 

I was quiet for a moment, my mind trying desperately trying not to remember all of the faces that were lost to me now. 

"I had two brothers, Eamon and Dagar. They were twins, four years younger than me. Eamon wanted to be a doctor, he had to beg the village Elders to let him study under them early. Dagar was head over heels for this girl he'd met by chance, he was always doing things for her just to see her smile. I only met her once before... you know." I blinked back the tears. 

"Illyria was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen, I think you would've liked it. When I was little, we had this big celebration to honor the moon and we had these special dances that were never the same. Sometimes, if it would rain, we would just dance the entire night and let it cleanse us of our doubt and fears."

"Is that why you always look at the sky?" Luffy asks, his voice was unnaturally quiet.

"Yes," I smiled at him. "Despite everything, I still believe in her. She guides me through life, just as she guided me to you. She had no control over the destruction of my home and I know that, she still deserves to be honored even if I'm the last one to do so." 

"Elora?" Chopper asks quietly and I look over at him, his body still covered from earlier. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Do you believe in soulmates?" 

I froze. Why would he ask that? Without meaning to, my eyes meet Aces and I have to rip them away before my emotions get the best of me. 

"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?" I reply, my voice uneven 

"I read somewhere that there's a myth that says the moon goddess sometimes give's people soulmates. Since you believe in her, do you have a soulmate?" 

I lace my fingers together to stop them from shaking. 

Before I could respond, Luffy calls out: "Wait whats a soulmate?" 

"A soul mate is like a best friend but more. Someone who you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knows you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens, you'll always love them. Nothing can ever change that and sometimes things happen and everything gets complicated and all you want to do is protect them from yourself. Soulmates aren't supposed to be messy but life is unpredictable." 

Chopper gave me a small smile, "Do you know who your soulmate is, Elora?"

Say no, say no, say no, say no, say n- "Yes."

Damn it.  
I could feel his eyes burning into me. Shit. 

"But if you know who they are, wouldn't you tell them?" His animal-like face was scrunched up in confusion and my heart broke. 

"They deserved better." I gave him a sad smile before standing up and leaving the shelter, needing to clear my head. 

It was cool out and I lay in the sand a few hundred feet away from the entrance. I stare at the moon, letting a few stray tears escape the corner of my eyes that disappear into my hair. 

I wondered if they could see me from the afterlife, if they agreed with my choices in this world. I almost smiled at the thought of the Elders scolding me when I died, just like they did when I was a child.

I just wanted to hug my brothers again, to see the children I raised in the woods. It was hard to remember them as the years went on and I hoped they would forgive me. This world has been no kinder than Illyria was. 

It had been a stupid decision to tell them that I knew. Ace's gaze had burned into me and I had my suspicions that made me want to melt into the earth and never come back out.  
I laid there for hours, staring at the moon and Sirius until my eyes burned. 

I flinched when he laid beside me and I refused to look at him. 

"He told you." I whispered, my throat aching from holding back tears. 

"Yes, he did." He said, no emotion in his voice. "How long have you known?" 

I wiped at my face, erasing the tears that fell. 

"The day you became a part of his crew." My voice broke, "I told him not to tell you." 

"That was almost three years ago, El. You know I've been with other people and you never said anything. You saw me with them, knowing who I was to you and you never spoke up." His voice was strained and I couldn't tell if he was upset with me or himself. 

"You deserved to be happy, Ace. Who was I to tell you what you could and couldn't do? You never felt the pull. You were young, still finding who you were and I couldn't-" I couldn't hold back the sob. "You deserve the world and I couldn't give it to you. You were happy with them and I couldn't say no to your happiness." 

I wrapped my arms around myself in hopes of keeping it together.  
I didn't think I would have to tell him so soon, I wasn't prepared for the empty feeling inside me to grow so big. 

"That's why you always pushed me away. You thought if you got me to hate you, I would never feel the same way towards you." 

"The bond is destructive and I couldn't do that to you. I would rather take this pain for a thousand years than force you to accept this just because you feel like you have to. I would rather love you from afar than force you into this." 

"It should have been my choice! I deserved to know." He spat out and I flinched at his anger. "Honestly, Elora, stay the fuck away from me. I need time to think and I don't want to be anywhere near you. But hey, at least you got what you wanted. I hate you." 

He was beyond angry and some of his flames came out. I didn't cry out when they burned my arm before he walked away, oblivious to the angry mark that he'd put there. 

I laid there until sunrise, my entire being feeling numb. 

I didn't join them for breakfast, simply grabbing my pack and waiting outside until they decided it was time to go. I couldn't really tell what emotions were on my face, but the others kept throwing me concerned looks over their shoulders. I stayed at the back of the group, far away from him as he wanted. 

Zoro held Chopper this time, understanding that I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. It was hard to think and the pain in my arm kept me focused enough to walk. I had caught his eyes on his earlier, worry on his face but I turned away, holding my hand over it. 

I had deserved it. He was right, he deserved to know. This was the consequence for keeping it from him and I accepted it. 

The bond wanted me to comfort him, begging for him to forgive me. The mark felt like I was being branded, and I knew it would end up bleeding again. The longer you deny the bond, the worse the mark gets until its unbearable. I don't think it anticipated my ability to take it in strides, to use it as a reminder why I didn't tell him. 

This would be his pain if he'd ever kissed me. Even if he didn't accept us, if he had kissed me, his mark would appear and he'd deal with the same issue. I couldn't do that to him. 

He could be angry at me forever, he could move on and forget about this and find a new love. I would still love him from a distance and in agony, as long as he didn't have to go through this. 

The sun didn't deserve to feel this pain. 

"You're bleeding." 

I blinked at him, his voice cutting through the fog in my head. I looked down at the red that soaked through my sleeve. I cursed myself and opened my pack, taking out the bandages. 

I rolled my sleeve up, and discarded the old bloodied cloth that was soaked through. I flinched when he grabbed my arm, looking at the mark. I refused to look up at him, staring at the bloodied mess that my arm had become. 

The mark had turned ragged, and broken. It only got like this when we fought and after last night, this was the worst I've ever seen it. 

It was beautiful when I first got it, two crescent moons facing each other with his name in between them. The moons had faces on them, representing the Moon Goddess' natures. Every soul mark was unique and this was the first time I've ever seen one with two faces instead of one. 

I pulled my arm out of his grasp and wiped up the blood before wrapping it back up. I moved around him, head down. He told me to stay away from him and I was respecting that. 

I heard him sigh and I kept moving, getting as far away from his as I could. 

Usoop found our shelter this time around midday and the others rested as soon as they could. I kept my distance by the entrance, eyeing the dunes in front of us. I was weary of them, I knew this kingdom had creatures that hid under the sand that would attack travelers. 

Eventually my wariness was justified, one tried to attack the group behind me and Ace cooked it up quickly. I shook my head at the food Blondie offered me, feeling sick at the thought of food. 

I ignored his concerned look and looked back at the dunes. We weren't going to stay long here. Soon enough, it would be time for Ace to leave. He hadn't found what he was looking for here and it would be time to say goodbye.

It was easier to be away from him, if that makes any sense. I didn't have to see him with other girls, watch him play with children. It made my being ache and I could never bring myself to look away. I was thankful that I couldn't feel him when he was with others, that would be a whole different hell. 

I stayed nearby when Luffy was ready to fight two kids who stole his food and I almost laughed when their dad tried to fight Ace. 

I tilted my head at them, cowering in front of Ace. They looked hungry, the kids eyes had sunken in and their father was a pile of bones. They were about to go back home before I stopped them. 

"Hey!" I made my way around Ace, careful not to touch him. "Take this. It'll be enough to get you out of here. Go somewhere green, fertile, and without so much sand. Don't let your sons starve to death in a place like this." I handed him a thick bag full of berries. 

He nodded before running off with his kids. 

"He's probably going to spend that on weapons and booze, you know." Ace told me, his voice void of emotion.

"As long as those kids don't starve, I don't care what he does with it." My voice sounded empty. 

Stupid bond. 

I narrowed my eyes at Nami, whose eyes were practically berry signs.

I'd have to be careful with what money I bring out around here, she'd rob me blind and help me look for the missing berries. I looked back towards Ace when I knew he wasn't looking and I knew the time was coming to say goodbye. 

He was near his brother and the giant smile on his face made my heart ache. His brother was his happiness, he didn't need anything else as long as he knew Luffy was okay. His face was towards the setting sun, making his tan complexion become the warmest honey colour I'd ever seen. It made the freckles spread across his face to stand out. They had always reminded me of the stars and I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from him. 

In those few moments, I let myself imagine the future I never let myself think about coming to mind. I could imagine all of our should-have-been's and the mark ached in tune to my heart. 

The problem with soulmates? 

Sometimes it wasn't meant to be.  
I've known he was mine for years now, since he was accepted onto Whitebeard's ship. He was young, having just left home in search of his childhood dreams. He was only a little older than eighteen, and I had just finished undercover work for Whitebeard and Shanks, something they both decided I'd be the best person for. 

I was drunk, partying with Shanks and some of his crew when Ace appeared on deck, a fresh tattoo on his back and the biggest smile on his face. 

The sun would've been jealous of how bright he was that night. He was practically glowing as he drank and danced with his new crew. I remember just standing here, a dumb look on my face and my eyes wide as I stared at him. 

That was the first night my arm burned, and the only time it burned in a pleasant way that sent shivers down my spine. My senses were too dull to process what was happening, I just stared at him as he smiled. He didn't smirk or act cocky or nonchalant, he had a full-blown smile on his face that nearly sent me to my knees. 

He had a smile that could make the heavens weep.


	6. saying goodbye

Shanks had been too drunk to notice what was happening to me. Hell, I didn't even fully comprehend what was happening to me at the time. 

It took hours before I understood what was happening in the worst way possible. We were harbored in a pirate town, men and women from the town were invited if they had food or drink. Ace was drunk now, drinking to his hearts content with the rest of his crew mates. 

I had edged closer over the hours, sitting on the side of the ship just to watch him. I was mostly sober now and all I could think about was him. 

I wanted to make him smile like he did earlier. I didn't trust myself to start drinking again, the simplest impulsive thought would have me making an embarrassment of myself in front of him. 

I felt like a school girl swooning over her crush. 

He stayed near the other new recruits, his arm around one of the men as they laughed loudly. A group of local girls drifted towards them and I narrowed my eyes at the girl who wrapped an arm around his waist, pouting for a dance. 

He let her drag him to where the others were dancing, and she moved around him, her dainty fingers ghosting across his exposed chest. I watched the way her smile captivated him as she moved, her body twisting expertly to the song the musicians played on their instruments. 

Despite being sober, I didn't understand why I felt so upset at her actions, why I felt so territorial over him. His eyes were half closed as he watched her, his lips tugging up in a smile just for her. 

She leaned up to kiss him, her small hands resting on his chest. I must've made some sort of noise, some of the men near me turned to look, concerned. I waved them away, not taking my eyes off of them. 

She stood on her tippy toes to whisper something in his ear after they broke away. She took his hand and gave him a devilish grin before walking away with him in tow. I flinched at their hushed laughter and barely concealed touches before they disappeared into the dark.

I was completely sober now, swallowing hard at the burning sensation in my throat. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, willing the tears to go away. This was the first time in years I had felt an agony so deep that it punctured my soul. The sting in my arm became a full-blown burn and I looked down, dazedly watching the large angry red mark that formed. 

I was bleeding. 

Bleeding right where my mark was supposed to be. 

My mind went blank for a moment. 

Was it... him? 

I ripped my sleeve up, staring at the brand-new bloody mark that was now carved into my skin. I wiped away the blood with my other sleeve and I felt my heart sink. 

In a different world, I would've found it beautiful and I would've been excited. Instead I was met with dread. This would just become another scar in the hundreds that littered my body and I would forget about it. 

But at least I found out his name.

It was carved into my skin now, a permanent reminder that the gods punished me with the very thing I could never have. 

A soulmate. 

I don't remember much about the rest of the night, just a deep agony in my arm and a sickening pain in my stomach. The first few months was the worst if you didn't accept your other half. You could feel everything they did and if it didn't push you to be with them, your mark steps in every day afterwards. 

Its a life of agony not to accept your other half. 

I only remember sitting in the crows nest, crying and asking the gods to forgive me. My cries were drowned out of the party as I felt everything he did with her that night. 

They never answered my pleas. 

The next morning I left. Shanks and Ed gave me a new mission and I kept my expressions blank and stony, confusing the two captains. 

Neither had seen me like that in years and I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, practically feeling his curiosity. I tensed as Shanks eyed my bandaged arm, something that still hasn't stopped bleeding to my annoyance. 

I merely shook my head at him before turning to go. I made my way though the two crews, forcing myself to not to look at him. It was hard enough to try to breathe normally around him. 

It took two days before I could breathe without feeling like my lungs were collapsing. I knew it wasn't his fault, humans had no concept of soulmates. He didn't know what I was to him, what he was to me. 

And somehow that made it easier. The distance let me feel everything without fear he'd see. The traditions and ways of Illyria were dead and the old beliefs died long ago. I couldn't force a different world's life upon him. He was still a child, who had everything going for him. So I let him go. 

I avoided him whenever I had to go back to Whitebeard's ship, shifting away every time I even saw him. Sometimes I caught his confused and hurt look whenever I purposefully avoided him. A bond he wasn't even aware of was always pulling him towards me and I always left before he could get close.

Eventually he stopped trying to look for me, his curiosity burnt out. I was curious about how the human would interpret the bond, as far as I knew this was the first time something like this ever happened. 

More than once I listened in on his conversations with his crew mates, mostly hearing how annoyed he was with me. He thought I believed myself to be too good to interact with the crew. 

It was easier to make him hate me so I played the role of the bad guy. Sometimes he seemed confused, as if he knew he wasn't supposed to hate me. I always pushed it until he stopped being confused. 

The bond punished me those first few months and the pain of him with that girl was so agonizing I couldn't move for days. I grew thinner as the weeks went on, my eyes sunken in and my ribs poking through my thin shirt. 

It was too painful to eat, anything that went in immediately came out and I didn't want to waste food. 

Ed eventually intervened, dragging me into his office to get to the bottom of things. I had purposefully avoided being alone with him knowing he'd pry until he knew the truth. 

"You're not leaving here until you tell me what the hell is going on with you." He'd said and I sat there in silence for hours. 

He always did make me feel like scolded child. It wasn't like he was that much older than me, I was just stuck in the body of a twenty-one year old while he got older and wrinklier. 

He was my first friend in this world, the first person I told everything to about Illyria. He'd become family, something I had desperately needed. 

Eventually I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. 

"I found him, Ed. I've been on this planet for over forty years and the gods finally gave me the one thing I couldn't have." I told him, voice uneven. 

"They gifted you with a soulmate, didn't they?" He said, leaning back in his chair and resting his arms on his stomach. I couldn't tell if he was pleased or indifferent. 

"He's a child, Ed. He's so innocent to the world around him, I can't burden him with something like this. Humans have no concept of Illyria and its ways. I can't force a bond on him that comes from a dead world. It's not fair." I rested my head in my hands, furious at the tears that escaped my eyes. 

"He's one of the newbies, isn't he?" He sounded amused. "One of them was concerned about you and reported it to me. He was adamant that you despised him but still, he wanted to make sure you were okay." 

Fucking mate bond. 

"He deserves better, Ed.'' was all I responded. 

"You look like hell, Ellie. Whats happening to you?" His amusement was gone, worry and seriousness replacing it. 

"I'm being punished for not accepting him. The first few months, I can feel everything he does with someone else and it feels like someone is tearing my soul apart, Ed. The stupid soulmark hasn't stopped bleeding for months and I'm in too much pain to eat. Its hard to function around him and its even worse the more distance I put between us," I winced as my stomach twisted painfully. "However, I'd rather take this pain that know he'd have to go through this if he became aware of it. He might hate me now, but I'd do anything to protect him from something like this." 

He was quiet for a moment and I curled in on myself, agony running through my veins. 

"Ellie, haven't you had enough pain for a lifetime? You deserve a break."   
I just smiled weakly at him, "Ed, the pain only stops when I'm dead." 

I stared at him now and I thought he looked like an angel in the dimming sunlight. Even through everything, I couldn't bring myself to regret keeping this from him. Ace was a good man, if he knew what was really happening to me, he'd never let it go. Was it so wrong to want to protect him? He deserved the entire universe and I couldn't hold him back from getting it. 

I would die a thousand deaths for him, just to know he was alive and safe. 

I swallowed hard and looked at the ground when he turned to look at the rest of us. Him and his brother had stopped a few meters ahead of us and I knew this was it. My heart twisted painfully in my chest and I clenched my jaw to keep myself from gasping. 

Stupid emotions.   
Stop thinking about him like that, you can't have what was never truly yours. 

I avoided eye contact with all of them and turned my eyes to the blinding sun, letting it consume me. 

I was never good with goodbyes. 

I refused to cry in front of him again, so I couldn't let him worry about me. 

Gods above, I was selfish. I knew I was and yet, I couldn't stop. 

Perhaps I was only thinking about myself, of how this would affect me. This was the first time in history that a human had an Illyrian as a soulmate after all, maybe he could feel the pull. 

I always reasoned against it, that he would've told me or that he would've become clingy and needy, like soulmates usually were. 

I sighed deeply, my eyes burned but I refused to look away. 

I could hear them saying their goodbyes, the sound of paper tearing apart mixing with their laughter. 

I glared at the sun as I felt him walking towards me, his hands lay limply at his side. 

"Hey can we talk?" He asked quietly, his voice low and serious. 

I barely nodded and turned to look at Luffy, "You guys go on, I'll catch up." 

I waited until they had walked away, out of ear shot before collapsing into the sand. My arm and last night had taken a toll on me and I was exhausted. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my chin on them, watching the sun go down. I felt him sit next to me as the silence stretched on. 

"Do you hate me?" I asked eventually, voice barely a whisper. 

He didn't answer for a while. 

"No, I don't." 

"When I was little, my mom used to tell me stories about soulmates. Her and my dad were mates, you see, and I remember being fascinated by it. Illyria was special, we had all of these traditions and rituals every year." I said, frowning. "Now, I'm the only person to remember it. I wish she told me how painful it would be, to want something you can't have." 

"I'm sorry, Elora." He sounded guilty and I turned to look at him. He refused to meet my eyes. "I'm engaged." 

I sucked in a breath and snapped my head away from him. It felt like I couldn't breathe, the air was stuck in my throat. 

He was engaged. 

Ace loved someone else. 

She got him. 

I felt like I was dying a million times over.   
"I'm happy for you." I choked out, and I tightened my hold on my knees. 

The words felt like poison. 

"She lights up the room and I can't get enough of her." He said, his voice almost adoring. "I think you'd like her."

I hated her. 

I forced myself to my feet, hands shaking violently. 

"I need to catch up with the others, Ace. I'll see you on Whitebeards ship soon enough. Got a government to save and all." I let out a hollow chuckle. "See you." 

I walked away from him, willing myself to stop the flood of tears that brimmed my eyelids as soon as I turned away from him. 

"Elora," He said and I paused, not turning to look at him. "I don't want you, I don't want this. It might be something your family did, but I want nothing to do with it." 

I couldn't contain my flinch. 

Sighing, I looked at the ground before turning to him. 

I flashed him a small smile, "I know, Ace. I've known the whole time." 

He looked stunned for a moment and an emotion flitted across his eyes before disappearing. 

"I'm breaking the bond. I hope your fiance knows how lucky she is." I told him, and I felt like my heart was going to rip itself out of my chest. "I'm sorry for everything and I hope that someday, when this is all over, we can be friends. I know Ed would like that." 

He didn't respond and he looked almost angry. 

"Hey Ace?" I smiled at him again, and I couldn't stop the tears from escaping my eyes. "I love you more than anything in the entire universe. Please don't forget that." 

I walked away before shifting far away from him. 

He deserved to be happy.


	7. a blur of days

I avoided the curious gazes of the others and I wasn’t entirely sure what the expression on my face was.

Did I look upset? Angry? Heartbroken? 

I couldn’t bring myself to care much, my mind couldn’t tear itself away from the stupid boy fate had decided to put me with. 

When we were done with Crocodile, I was going to kill Whitebeard. Years of friendship and trust down the drain just like that because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut about something that didn’t concern him. I didn’t care if he considered the boy his son, it was something I kept secret for a reason. 

The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur, we had made it to the casino the Warlord was in and frankly, I was grumpy and pissed off and ready to knock his teeth out. 

We had gotten separated at one point, Chopper and Blondie wandering off and to my annoyance, Luffy walked us right into a trap as soon as we got to the VIP section in the casino. 

It was a prison of seastone and I didn’t have the energy to pretend to be affected by it like Luffy was. Our luck put us with Smoker, who wasn’t a threat in any capacity. 

I think he looked pissed but I couldn’t tell since his face always looked like that. 

I don’t think he’d ever smiled in his life. 

The thought of Smoker’s face grimacing in pain while trying to smile made me snicker, and Greenie just looked at me like I was insane, which I probably was. 

“Shouldn’t you be all weak and puking your guts out like this idiot?” He asked me and I just shrugged. 

“I never said I had a devil fruit power, dumbass.” I replied sarcastically, staring around the weird office and the giant crocodiles behind the large glass windows. 

“That means you can get out then.” Smoker responded and I kicked his shin. 

“Shut it, Smokey, I won’t get us out until we need to be out. This is how you miss all of the important stuff by just rushing off to fight the next person you see.” 

He grumbled something I didn’t catch and I kicked his shin again. Bastard. 

“What do you mean?” Usopp said, finally turning away from the prison bars and looking at me. 

“Well my friend, I’m glad you asked. Anyone else notice how the princess isn’t with us anymore? That means that Croc has her, which means that he's going to bring her out here and taunt us with her.” I replied, leaning my head against the stone wall behind me. 

I scowled at the awe that appeared on his face- did he seriously think I was stupid? It was an obvious thing to point out, but maybe this entire crew is just full of dumbasses. 

I ignored Luffy's groans and stared at nothing. It was easy enough to forget what had happened just hours ago by getting caught up in a big mess like this one. But waiting around for Crocodile to show himself was making me anxious, my mind agonized over the things Ace had told me, how whatever I ever felt about him wasn’t reciprocated. 

It hurt and I was thankful that his brother looked nothing like him. I don’t think I could stand looking at Luffy if he looked anything like his brother. I stared at my ring finger and wondered what it would’ve looked like if I ever had the chance to marry him. A part of me wanted to kill the girl he was engaged to, to find her and show her how much damage she was doing. 

But she was innocent. She didn’t know anything about me and I wouldn’t cause her the same pain I was suffering through myself. As much as it pained me, I genuinely hope that she gives him the happiness he deserves. I knew he was hunting Teach and I knew it wouldn’t end well. Rumor was that he had gotten ahold of a powerful and dangerous devil fruit and I don’t think even Ace could go up against it and win. Teach was detestable enough to give the Marines big name pirates for the sake of causing chaos; it wouldn’t surprise me if he was going after the title of Warlord or even becoming one of the four Emperors in the new world. 

I sighed deeply and leaned my head in my hand. Too many things to worry about and not enough solutions. Plenty of things would be solved later, but at some point having a few backup plans would help. Not that any of these dumbasses would follow them but it was nice to hope. It was kinda funny, I’d seen these people enough in my dreams to find them and I already knew I’d die for them without hesitation. I’d die for Ace too, even if he never forgave me for doing so. Not that he had much say, if he hated me then he shouldn’t care about what I did. 

Grumbling to myself, I stood up and stretched before walking to the bars of our prison. Looking around the dim office that just screamed Crocodile, I stared at the giant crocodiles swimming in the aquarium and made up my mind- 

“I’m gonna fight the crocodiles.” 

It took him over a half hour to come sauntering into the room, a cigar dangling out of his mouth as he looked down on us. Honestly, if he didn’t seem like such a creep, I probably would’ve found him attractive. He sauntered down the giant staircase with a woman in tow, who looked like she had her shit together. 

Squinting at her, she felt almost familiar. Man, I was getting old if I couldn’t even recognize one person's face. I shook my head and focused on the Warlord as he hauled the princess behind him (what was her name again?) and tied her to a chair at the dining table I had noticed beforehand. 

This stupid soulmate situation has me all scatterbrained, I think to myself with annoyance. If I don’t stop thinking about him, I’m going to let the crocodiles in the tank just eat me. 

I zoned out as the dude started talking, my eyes fixating on the woman once again. I couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable with my staring or if she just ignored me, but I swear I knew who she was. I racked my brain for an answer and finally, I got sick of trying to guess. 

“What’s your name? I swear I’ve seen you before.” I interrupted Crocodile in the middle of what I was assuming a speech he had prepared in front of a mirror beforehand. 

“You DARE interrupt me? Do you even know wh-” He glared at me through the bars of the cell. I swear I almost saw a vein pop out of his head. 

“Would you shut up for a second?” I interrupted him for a second, glaring right back at him. “I know you from somewhere, who are you?” 

I turned my attention back to the woman and waited impatiently for her to say something. 

“I’m Nico Robin, an archaeologist working with Crocodile.” She finally replied, her voice strong yet quiet as she spoke.   
Wait, 

Robin? 

My mind was immediately thrown back over twenty years ago watching a whole island burn to the ground. 

“Robin?” I repeated back to her, and she nodded. 

“I haven’t seen you in over twenty years, Robin.” I smiled widely at her. “It's nice to see you’re doing well.” 

She frowned for a moment and studied me before her eyes widened. 

“Elora? Is that really you?” She stared at me with wide eyes, reminding me of the child I took care of briefly so long ago. 

“Hiya, Robin.” I grinned at her, “What’re you doin with a loser like this? I thought I raised you better than this.” 

I could almost feel Usopp wetting himself as Crocodile got angrier at being ignored. Or maybe it was because of how I was speaking to the Warlord. Either way, he was shaking so hard I could feel his trembling through the bars of the cage. 

Nami was strangely quiet and I silently hoped she wasn’t planning my death. Apparently Luffy liked to hire scaredy cats on his crew. Thankfully, they had enough smarts to cover up being cowards so I suppose it was alright. 

Robin didn’t get a chance to reply before Crocodile started talking again, louder this time. Frankly I was bored of him talking and only listened in when the princess managed to get herself free and he was taunting her. What a dingus. 

I curiously watched as he threw the key to a crocodile before breaking the glass to the aquarium. I looked over my shoulder and grinned at Zoro as water started to gush into the room, I wasn’t surprised when he just huffed at me before attempting to get Luffy to stand on his feet. 

We all paused when Crocodiles transponder snail rang and Sanji’s voice came out- apparently he was good at impersonating other people because he completely convinced Crocodile that he was in trouble in front of the casino. Throwing a few more insults our way, he laughed his way maniacally out of the room and Robin lingered a few feet behind him, turning to wink and nod at me before following in his footsteps. 

“Riiiiight, so are we ready to get out of here? I don't wanna walk around in wet clothes.” I wrinkled my nose and grinned at the exasperated chorus of “yes!” that came my way.   
Blinking out of the cage, it was easy enough to rip the door off of its hinges and the rest barreled through the small doorway. 

“Alright so we’ve got a mild problem. Water is coming out faster which means that those crocodiles are gonna swarm and try to kill all of us and the people upstairs. I can take care of them while you guys make your way to the capital. I can meet you there while I fix things here, got it?” I told them, eyeing the now giant cracks in the aquarium glass. 

Zoro just nodded and carried Luffy, who was still regaining his bearings as the effects of the seastone wore off. I nudged Usopp and Nami forward with a warm smile before turning back to the tank. I laughed when I heard Zoro tell off Sanji, the would-be hero if he had gotten here earlier. 

I sat on the dining table and sighed, waiting for the bastards to just break through already. Fighting was easier than thinking and I preferred dealing with wounds that I could heal easily over waiting for my mind to overthink things that were already dealt with. 

When the glass gave one finally creak before breaking apart completely, I grinned and drew my sword. 

“Come and get me boys!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long to upload- I was depressed lol   
> also I genuinely can't remember if Elora already met Robin or not, so if you find any inconsistancies just let me know. Also I know i've said it before but not everything I write in here is going to be consistant with the manga or anime- One Piece is long and I'm a full time college student so I can't exactly sift through hundreds of episodes to make everything how it is cannonly. However, if theres anything you'd lile to see (episodes, moments, characters), just let me know! i'll try my best to incorperate it into the story (:


End file.
